Toronto: Still Magic, Barely

Oh, the weary February blues set in, and carried on into March. It's damn cold here, often too cold to snow. When it does snow, it often comes down in combination with rain. But it's always those grey dull skies. Except for the morning of March 9, which had big wet snowflakes and looked absolutely spectacular,

Even in this lousy weather you can find a special something. This is the street I live on, early morning, on a bad day. Even a bad day here in T.O. can be pretty special. 

Radio: Serena Ryder

Canadian singer Serena Ryder came to my attention with her amazing song Little Bit of Red from her debut album, is it o.k. It's a great, uplifting song that deserves to be on your MP3 player for quite a while.

Americans can pay $8 and get a digital download of the songs PLUS get the CD delivered to their doorstep, by buying through her website.  Or buy just the CD for $5.

Canucks aren't so lucky. We can only get one or the other, not both. But her CD is awesome (I bought it from iTunes) and her Little Bit of Red has been on my iPod ever since. 

“This whole record is about realizing that the more we think we know, the less we do know,” she insists. “It’s about me coming to terms with the fact that I’m imperfect, about being comfortable with feeling what I’m feeling and embracing being human in any way I possibly can.”

You can hear Serena and others on LesbianFunWorld Radio. 

Contest: Winner!

Our congratulations to Kaiya from America, the winner of our February free t-shirt draw. Kaiya, thanks for entering! This is Kaiya with Duckie, showing off her great new Lesbianfunworld t-shirt.  

The March free t-shirt draw ends March 15, and this month's t-shirt, the best-selling Lick-A-Chick design. Drop by the website and enter! Remember you have to correctly answer a not-so-hard multiple choice question to be eligible. And remember you can surf the web to get the answer, so no excuses!

T-Shirts: New

I was inspired recently to create a trio of t-shirts that are similar in nature. They are "statement tees", as many of my designs are. That must means they are text only. Out. Proud, Lesbian. (Trans. Queer.) The text is in increasing text size, getting louder and louder. If we aren't proud of who we are, if we aren't out, if we don't claim our identity and our space in this world, we will disappear. Don't think it's possible? Check your own world. There are some languages that don't even have a word for "lesbian," it just doesn't exist. In some places, it can get you jailed. In others, you can be denied basic human rights, like housing and employment. And marriage. 

Never underestimate the power of coming out and being out. Sure, you don't have to be out 24/7 (in some cases, like when you're faced with a gang of homophobic bullies, it's just plain dangerous). The contemporary idea of coming out was introduced in 1869 by the German homosexual rights advocate Karl Heinrich Ulrichs as a means of emancipation. Claiming that invisibility was a major obstacle toward changing public opinion, he urged homosexuals themselves to come out. "Society has handed me a mask to wear...Everywhere I go, at all times and before all sections of society, I pretend." - Douglas Cory (pseudonym), 1951. Pretend no more.

Jenny gives me nightmares. Well, not really, but every time I watch the L-Word I end up dreaming about her. And not in a nice way. This is a rough, grungy, blurry t-shirt covered in water. But isn't it amazing that after six long years, this amazing TV show has aired. Whether you like it or hate it (or go to the bar each week to watch it with a bunch of other fans), there is no denying that the mere fact of its existence is an amazing statement about the visibility of lesbians and trans. Of course it's complicated, of course it's dramatic, of course it isn't exactly what you want. It has to appeal to a lot of people, cross some barriers and not cross others, it has to speak to generations of lesbians, trans, queers, outsiders, and everyone else it represents. Nothing could do it perfectly. But this one thing, the death of the very unpopular Jenny, is an amazing season-opener cliffhanger. 

T-Shirts: Quick Hits

	Life is Art. This design is a bit of a departure, but then again, everything is a bit of a departure! Two graphic images of a woman at an easel, painting. The names of famous women artists are behind her., and the phrase Art is Life is vertical on the side.
	Distressed text says What Part of Lesbian Don't You Understand? Accompanied by images of two hot women kissing, just in case they need pictures! Be proud of your lesbian self in your lesbian t-shirt!
	Yep, that's me. Almost 35 years ago, Meg Christian released a lesbian folk album called I Know You Know. I owned a copy and always loved the saying. But it had to be updated... I know you know. So fucking what? Accompanied by the image of a self-assured woman (not me).

Lifestyle: Wine

Yes, I bought this for the label. A cute donkey for cripes' sake! El Burro Kickass Garnacha has a great reputation, but the 2007 vintage is a big disappointment. It promised a smooth finish with light tannins (that stuff that makes your mouth pucker). It was supposed to give the taste of ripe berry, with a silky feel. Nope. It was okay, don't get me wrong, but the tannins were very strong, and it had a real bite. It might stand up well to a strong, well-flavoured meat, but on its own it's too harsh.

It was not worth the small price tag of under $13. I read a ton of great reviews for other years, maybe that accounts for the difference. Half the bottle is still in the fridge. I should probably have added it as a base to the bad slowcook stew I made, maybe two wrongs would have made a right.

And now it's been a few days since it was opened, and it will likely just be tossed out if I don't polish off the bottle in the next day or two. Skip the cute label unless you know the person you're drinking it with is a donkey lover. And if that's the case, be sure to make this your second bottle of wine, so you won't taste it nearly as much as if it was the first bottle of the evening. 

Lifestyle: Books

Radclyffe's When Dreams Tremble is a recent favourite re-read for Kelly. 

The plot is easy to follow, and the writing is straightforward.

Leslie Harris's return home after a decade of triumphs and disappointment resembles a nightmare more than the quiet stroll down memory lane she'd hoped for. A run-in with much-changed town bad girl Devon Watts, a woman she'd once secretly lusted after, rekindles small town jealousies and old heart aches -- and reminds Leslie just why she left.

Kelly rates the book a 4 out of 5.

Sue's Other Stuff

I created three cute miniature seahorse abstract paintings, which you can see at my art website. I am happy to say that The Tomboy has been purchased, and is in a new home. I've finished a painting recently called The Eyes Have It, which I have been working on for a couple of months. It all came together at the end, and I am very pleased with the results. I'm scaling back on painting size to keep things affordable for my clients. This one is a mere 8"x10" so it can be conveniently framed, compared to The Tomboy which I painted last year, and was 2 ft x 3ft.

I'll be back next month with another newsletter. But until then remember...

 Love Women, Have Fun, Wear T-Shirts!

-- Sue